Safety Harbor singer getting help from small business owners for throat surgery
SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - Small businesses in Safety Harbor are banding together to raise money for a local country singer's throat surgery.
Chad "Big Country" has been singing at places like Bassano Cheesecake, Tiki Tavern, and Harbor Bar since he moved to the area three years ago.
"He'll sing for four hours. He doesn't even get up to go to the bathroom," said Thomas Bassano, Co-owner of Bassano Cheesecake Cafe, "His singing is so good, when we hear the original songs on the radio, we're like, oh it's not as good as Big Country."
That was, until the summer, when Big Country was diagnosed with throat nodules.
Chad "Big Country" is known for his voice in Safety Harbor.
"Every day people are calling us up asking when he is going to be back," he said.
Now local businesses like Renaissance Real Estate, Gigglewaters, Troublewaters, Southern Fresh, Harbor Bar, Tiki Tavern, Day Dreamers, and Embers are fundraising to help the 7-foot-tall singer pay for his surgery.
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Thursday night at 7 p.m., Bassano's will host a raffle night, where each business will bring an item or gift basket to auction off.
Rock 'n' Bombs even created its own bath bomb and soap gift set in honor of Big Country.
Rock 'n' Bombs created boxes in honor of Big Country.
"I made these boxes exclusively for the fundraiser, so we made it country themed, and I actually made a silhouette graphic of him," Owner, Jennifer Trieste said, "100 percent of the proceeds of these boxes will go towards his recovery and medical."
"That's the thing about Safety Harbor, this place is not your average city," Bassano said. "All of the businesses are friends, we all help each other. We do things for each other. We collaborate together."